Dewatering vehicle



E. w, MCCULLOUGH ET AL March 12, 1929.

" DEWATERING VEHICLE Filed May is INVENTORS. fRw/v n4 M-Guzmmm Tel/4rNOLEM A TTORNEYJ.

Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

' UNITED STATES rarer DEwArnRINe VEHICLE.

Application filed May 15,

This invention relates to a dewatering device for garbage haulingvehicles and the like.

The chief object of this invention is to improve vehicles for haulinggarbage and the like by providing the sainewit'h suitable n'icans forpermitting the water and the liquids to be separated frompthe garbagesolids and-be maintained separate following separation.

'The chief feature of the invention consists in providing a compartmentforming construction adjacent the bottom, whichCO1DPfill3111611tf01'111l11gCOHStlLlClLlOH is adapted tosustain a partof the load of the vehicle; and in so sustaining said load automaticallyseparate from the same the liquid content and permit its collection inthe lower compartment formed by said construction, from which the liquidcan be readily removed without the simultaneous removal of thesolidscontent. 7

The full nature of the invention will be. understood from theaccompanying drawings and the following description and claims: I

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a garbagecollection vehicle. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view with theinvention incorporated therein and is taken in the plane of line 22 ofFig. 3 and in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view of the vehicle body and is taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2and in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a diagrainniatic view of aportion of the vehicle bottom and the compartment-forming constructionshowing the same in the loaded and unloaded positions, Fig. 5 is a viewsimilar to F1 8 and of a modified form of the b invent1on. 1mg. 6 1s aview similar to Fig.

. l and of the modification shown in Fig. 5.

It has been experimentally determined that themost economical way ofhandling garbage or similar material is to separate the water contentfrom the solids content, following which separation the solids contentmay be subjected to any desired form of treatment for garbage disposalpurposes. The most etlicient method of such separation is to cause theseparation of the liquid from the solids content substantially at thetime that the material is collected. When asufficient quantity of liquidcontent has been separated, the vehicle may be positioned adjacent anyconvenient manhole or sewer and 1924. Serial No. 713543. f

the liquids discharged therein, following which additional material maybe supplied viously. or if it has been discharged and additional liquidhasbeen separated fromthe Price.

garbage material, the vehicle when received at the plant is permitted todischarge said liquid contents prior to the discharge of, the solidscontent. One'form ofthe invention is convention ally illustrated hereinand con sists of a vehicular framework 10 provided with the supportingwheels 11 and with other usual vehicular parts. The vehicle hereinillustrated. may be adapted foranimal. or power-draft purposes and alsomay be of the trailer type, without departing in any way from theinvention herein disclosed. The vehicle frame loadjacent the rear end isprovided with a pivotl2 which pivotally supports upon-a horizontal axisthe vehicle body which herein is shown comprised of an end wall 18, apair of side walls ll which may or may not be parallel and a bottom 15,which see Fig. 3 is disclosed as pitched or inclined toward the centerfor drainage pur poses. The .side walls 14. instead of being parallel asherein .illustrate .l may be also pitched inwardly toward the bottom orin any other way. The back of the body thus formedis closed by asuitable plate or end 16, which herein is shown positioned at an angleto thevertical, andtheangle is such that when the body is appropriatelytilted upon the pivot 12, the end 16 is inclined downwardly from thehorizontal equal to an angle sufficient to permit the ready. dischargeof the garbage material. All of the foregoing is old in the art andforms no part. of the present invention. 7 I v The body previouslydescribedv is prefer,-

ably relatively non leakable, and within said therein. If desired, theplate may be suitably reenforced by longitudinal braces or transversebraces orribs, but herein the same is not illustrated. The platecompartment forming member is adapted to be hinged along onelongitudinal edge by a plurality of hinge. means, such as the hinges 20.Herein three of such hinges are illustrated, but the number may beincreased or decreased at Will. The other 'or opposite end of theV-shaped plateis adapted to bear upon the bottom 15 on alinesubstantially opposite the hinge axis. The dotted lines in Fig. 3illustrate one position of the compartment-forming member when tiltedinto cleaning position. It Will be noted that the hinge axis is parallelto the longitudinal axis of the body, but transverse to the pivotal axisof the body.

The compartmentiorming construction previously described may extend fromthe front end 13m the rear end 16 of the body and forms a covered troughhaving any desired capacity. This trough constitutes also a collectioncompartment for the liquid and it has been experimentally determinedthat the capacity ofone barrel for the average vehicle capacity of thetype of vehicle herein disclosed is sufficient. Itwill, of course, bereadily understood that a compartmentforming construction is not to benecessarily restricted to the V-shaped or angular outline but a curved,corrugated or other conformation could be readily substituted for thatherein disclosed and function substantially as Well. The V-shaped plateherein dis-- closed, however, constitutes the simplest type ofconstruction, for nothing more is required than the hinges and theplate. No bearing flanges are necessary, although the same may beprovided at the free end of the compare ment-liorming construction or atthe hinge edge or at both edges. It will, of course, be understood thatany suitable mechanism may be provided :tortilting the body from thefull line position shown in Fig. 2 into the dotted line position.

Reference Will now be had to Figs. 3 and 4, In these figures there isillustrated one form of a load-sustaining compartment formingconstruction, and the same is illus trated as a V-shaped perforatedplate. PS shown clearly in Fig. 4 the full line position indicates thenormal or non-loaded position of the construct-ion when the vehiclecontains little or no load. The dotted line indicates a possibleposition of the compartment-forming construction When the vehicle isfully or heavily loaded and the plate is yieldablc. It Will be readilyapparent that there inay be relative movement between the plate and thebody of the vehicle, which valve is closed under all conditions.

movement varies with the vehicular vibration and bumping. Thus, thevolume and the shape of the compartment formed by the loadsustainingconstruction may vary from time to time. Such vibration will cause anautomatic separation of the liquids from the solids content of thegarbage material or the like. V

The liquids separated from the garbage material leaving the solidscontent positioned Within the main; portion of the vehicle body istrapped in the liquids compartmentso "formed, and provision is hereinmadefor releasing said separated liquid by providing a valve. The valveis herein indicated by the numeral 21, and the same is of themolasses-cock type, "for it has been found that this is substantiallythe only type of valve which will permit the discharge of liquid fromthe compartment formed Within the vehicle body and substantially sealthe outlet therefrom when the The general run of valves Will not alwayssuhstantially sealythe outlet from drippage. This drippage not only is usanitary but causes complaints from the householders by reason of theodor of the drippage, discharged upon the roadway and fly nuisanceresulting therefrom. i

From the foregoing desc iption, it will be apparent that theload-supperting screen forms t-vt'o co;npartments, the larger being theupper compartment and the smaller bethe lower compartment and adapted tocontain the solids and the liquid contents respectively upper and lowerreferring to the load centers. With this automatic sepe-- ration theresecured increased capacity for the vehicle body, for the solids materialmay be piled in the center eta body to a height greater than the topWall or edge of said body. "his heaping, therefore, permits thecollection and transportation of a renter amount of material thanlwretollcre' :1

has been possible. It desired, such heaping can be substantmlly girevented by providing suitable coveis tor the body. These covers areold in the art and also form no part of the present invention.

i nether advantage of the use of the invention consists in the automaticseparation of the licp (ls from the solids so that when the garbage isdischarged into the vehicle by the collector, the same is not dischargedinto a water mixture, but is discharged upon a relatively solid mass.splashing, and spillage is substantialy eliminated, and the publichealth is safeguarded from these unsanitary conditions.

Another advantage of the use'of the invention is' that the separation ofthe liquids contentt'rom the solids content reduces or secures thepractical elimination of fBllIlGllpossible.

tation and decomposition of the garbage material. Thus little offensiveodor is created. 1 v Another advantage of the use of the inventionconsists in the separation of the liquids from the solids, and in suchseparation a greater amountof free grease is recoverable with the liquorthan ordinarily is recoverable from the usual garbage material withoutreduction treatment. Increased grease yield is due to other causes, suchas the elimination or reduction of splashing and due to the decreasedfermentation.

Another, and perhaps the most important feature of the invention,consists in the sep aration of the solids from the liquid and the,retention of the solids material in a form that is in better conditionfor subsequent garbage reduction than heretofore has been All of theforegoing results, therefore, as well as many others which have not beenenumerated are due directly or indirectly to the automatic separation ofthe liquid content from the solids content of the garbage material orthe like, which occurs substantially at the timeof the col-- lection. I

In Fig. 5 there is illustrated a modified form of the invention, and inthis form the bottom 115 is shown flat, altl'iough it may be otherwiseformed and connected thereto are the sides 114. Due to the peculiaritiesof thechassis upon which this relatively nonleakable body has beenmounted. and of theshape of the body, it has been difficult to retain avalve in position centrally of said body. Therefore, there has beenprovided two plates, one indicated by the numeral 117 and the other bythe numeral 118. The plate 117 is anchoredby hinge means 119 and theplate 118 is anchored by hinge means 120, thereby forming twocompartments which may be parallel with each other, and each of which isprovided with a valve 121, a

though if desired the two compartments may be suitably joined and onevalve control the common discharge. The action of this modification isidentical with the first modification previously described. Thepreferred construction is that illustratedparticularly in Figs. 2 to 4,because said modification re quires a minimum number of parts.

\Vhile the invention has been described in great detail in the foregoingspecifications, the same is'to be considered as illustrative and notrestrictive in character. Many modificat ons of the specific form of theforegoing invention will undoubtedly suggest themselves to those skilledin the art, but all of these 'modificatons are considered to bewlthinthe broad purview of the invention, reference being had to the leakableelongated body having a load receiving and discharge mouth and tiltablysupported upon an axis transverse to the body axis and tilt-able fordischarge of the tank contents from the mouth and including an openingin its lowest portion constituting the sole liquid discharge therefrom,

and a load-sustaining compartment-forming screen positioned within thebody and extending longitudinally thereof substantially from end to endand having its longitudinal edges associated with the body andconstituting the sole supportfor said screen, said screen being'hingedlysupported upon an axis transverse to the body pivot axis and forming acompartment drained by said opening. 1

2. In a dewatering vehicle," abody, ascreen plate bent at substantiallyright angles longitudinallyto provide a load-sustaining member ofsubstantially V-shape arranged in inverted position upon the bottom ofsaid body and extending at right angles to the tilting direction of thelatter, said plate being of narrow width so as to expose a relativelygreat area of the bottom to the load, and hinges connecting onelongitudinal edge of said plate with the bottom of said body.

A device of the character defined by claim 1, characterized by the bodybottom being relatively flat and the screen plate bein hinged to thebottom of saidbody so as to leave a relatively large area of said flatbottom exposed to the load and having portions of said plate'disposed atan angle to said bottom to. form a free channel therewith.

